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Five Things About … Mornington’s Sorachi Kolsch

1) Of all the beers on the shelves at Dan Murphy’s, I reckon the one that most infuriates people new to the craft beer scene is Mornington’s Sorachi Kolsch. I have this mental film of people buying a four-pack of cans and taking them home. Once they get home, they crack open a can, pour it in a glass and bring it to their lips. And then they spit it out and go, “Oh Jesus Christ! What is that? This is disgusting!”.

2) That reaction is not because it’s a bad beer (au contraire, it’s a fantastic beer). Instead, it’s down to the presence of the Sorachi Ace hop – the most polarising hop ever created. You never hear beek geeks saying they don’t like Centennial or Fuggles, Citra or Saaz. No, Sorachi Ace is the only hop I can think of that geeks actively dislike.

3) I can only assume it’s because of the flavours of dill and lemon that the hop is known for. Sure, before Sorachi Ace came along, I’d bet no one tasted a beer and thought, “this needs some dill”. But I love the way the dill character comes across in beer – and I can’t say I’m the biggest fan of the herb outside of beer.

4) But inside a beer? Well, it just works. When it’s used like it is in the Mornington Kolsch, it’s refreshing but a little sharp and gives your tastebuds something different to work with. I admit the flavour can still sometimes jar my senses. Even though I know the beer has Sorachi Ace, sometimes my brain recoils ever so slightly – as though it’s an innate reaction before the mental file marked “Hey, you like this hop” is accessed and everything is fine.

5) I know of only a handful of beers that use it – Brooklyn’s Sorachi Ace and Feral’s Golden Ace. I’ve had those but I reckon Mornington’s shows off the hop the best. And I’d be happy if those craft beer newcomers don’t buy the cans at Dan’s – means more for me.

Free or paid for?: I bought a four-pack at Dan’s. And I’ll buy more of them because I love this Sorachi beer.